[Ardemus]

I feel strange posting without searching the forums to see if it's been answered... I understand that this forum prefers that new members post without doing that, please let me know if I've misunderstood.

TLDR: Are their software upgrades or hardware modules for the SP2? For example, perhaps a USB or HDMI/ARC input with support for DD+ and high resolution or even lossless multichannel audio, or maybe a room correction module?

My original SP2 is a fairly early version, if not the first release. I understood that the SP2 was designed to be upgradable, with lots of overhead in the DSP and the DACs to handle new formats. Was any of that realized? I don't see anything about it on the Bryston website.

[Mag]

Hi I have an SP2. Pretty sure there is a software update. I sent mine to be service and it sounded much better when it came back particularly with bass extension, it was not boomy sounding as it was previously.

The SP2 doesn't have the bells & whistles of mainstream AVR but it has superior sound quality. I use mine with analog inputs, I gathered from your other post that you use digital inputs. Can't say I have had any dropouts with analog, so I suggest the problem lies with your digital connection.

When compared to my other AVR the SP2 was marginally better. My jaw however hit the floor when I connected a standalone dac the BDA-1 to the analog input, big difference in sound quality. So if you can route your digital inputs through a dac connected to the SP2 analog input.

Also have a 2B-Lp agree it's a good little amp. However I'm not using mine as I have two 3B-SST/2.

Whatever you do don't under estimate the quality of this processor. I don't think you can find a multi-channel processor with the sound quality of the SP2 unless you go with an SP3 or SP4. The advantage of the SP2 if I'm correct is two Chips, one for each channel, whereas I believe SP3 uses only 1. 2 chips has better stereo separation.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

[Ardemus]

Pretty sure there is a software update. I sent mine to be service and it sounded much better when it came back...

Thanks! I'll have to keep looking for an update then.

My jaw however hit the floor when I connected a standalone dac the BDA-1

I'm confused, though I'm glad you're enjoying the combination. I thought the BDA-1 was basically a 2.0 channel stand alone version of the DACs in the SP2. You're saying the BDA-1 is dramatically better?

Also have a 2B-Lp agree it's a good little amp. However I'm not using mine as I have two 3B-SST/2.

I would love to hear the newer Bryston amps some day. To be fair though, my 2B-LP's 20 year warranty expired, it still works (aside from a dead LED indicator), and I could buy the same model new today (with some minor changes). That's pretty impressive.

Thanks again.

[Mag]

Thanks! I'll have to keep looking for an update then.

- I think you will have to send your unit into Bryston Service for the update.

I'm confused, though I'm glad you're enjoying the combination. I thought the BDA-1 was basically a 2.0 channel stand alone version of the DACs in the SP2. You're saying the BDA-1 is dramatically better?

- No, I'm saying a dac + dac elevates the sound output. I initially was using this method with my Yamaha Avr, which really boosted the output. The Bryston SP2 put the Yamaha to shame with the same method.

Basically the initial signal is upscaled to 192 with 48k input and time aligned, so when it hits the SP2 processor it has a good clean signal and then it gets upscaled again by 96k. This is what I call Hi-Rez.
  You could probably use just about any external dac, but there is a chance that a dac's output could conflict with SP2 inputs distorting the signal, but I can't imagine how, assume though that it's possible.